As the navigator guided them closer to their destination, Yujin couldn't help but notice the breathtaking view of the coastline they trailed along. "This must be the reason why you love the beach," she concluded as the scenery unfurled before her. 

Minju couldn't have agreed more, her life seemed to be entwined with the essence of beaches. The expansive ocean and the skyline were etched into her core memories. 

The traditional yet modern, quaint house came into view, a cosy sanctuary for Minju's family.

Yujin's heartbeat matched the rhythm of the car engine as they parked along the gravel driveway. Glancing at Minju, she found solace in her encouraging smile, attempting to alleviate the unforeseen tension creeping in. 

Unfastening her seatbelt, Minju tenderly cupped Yujin's cheek. "You'll be fine," she reassured before stepping out of the car, prompting Yujin to inhale deeply, excitement tinged with nerves, following suit.

Assisting with their bags, Yujin trailed behind Minju towards the front door, her thoughts swirling with the anticipation of meeting her girlfriend's family for the first time.

Minju opened the gate, ensuring Yujin was close behind. Entranced, the younger girl admired the towering tree that grew in the front yard. 

Standing before the door, Yujin watched as Minju retrieved a key hidden beneath a flower pot next to a rocking chair, unlocking the door. 

"There's no one home?" Yujin asked, somewhat expecting a bustling family gathering, reminiscent of movies.

"We got here early," Minju said, pushing the door open. "My parents are at the store, my grandma is with her friends, and my sister is busy in school."

When Yujin realised it was the middle of the afternoon, everything started to make sense. "My heart was about to fall out of my chest," she confessed, slipping off her shoes. "You should've told me."

Minju chuckled, bringing the bags inside. Hearing the soft chime of bells drawing closer, she turned to witness a small, white furball trotting toward them. Swiftly, she positioned Yujin in front of her, surprising the younger girl.

"What's wrong?" Yujin was puzzled until she spotted the white cat. "Oh? You never told me you had a cat."

"Does it look like I knew?" Minju ground her words through her teeth and hid behind her, moving around when the cat started rubbing itself onto Yujin's legs.

Amused, Yujin chuckled, observing Minju's feline evasion. Setting her coat aside, she gently picked up the cat, teasing her girlfriend playfully until Minju bolted upstairs with the bags.

Yujin affectionately rubbed the kitten's chin whose eyes couldn't deviate from hers. "Don't worry, she doesn't hate you."

As the glass doors swung open, Yujin turned to see an elderly lady enter, emitting a relieved sigh. Her silver hair was elegantly coiffed, adorned in a warm, maroon knitted vest layered over long sleeves.

Stretching her back, the lady's gaze settled on Yujin at the front door. Without uttering a word, she redirected her attention to the kitten nestled in Yujin's arms. "This is strange," she mused, approaching the younger girl, who respectfully bowed in greeting. "How did you carry her?"

Yujin sensed her curiosity. "I just...picked her up." She looked for Minju who came down the stairs.

When the brunette saw who it was, her smile brightened. "Halmi," she called. "You're back early."

The lady turned around to see her granddaughter coming towards them. "Oh, Minju!" She opened her arms, bringing her into a warm hug. "When did you get here? Why didn't you say anything? I was on the balcony."

Minju saw Yujin standing there as she released the lady from her arms. "A few minutes ago," she said. "Since when do we have a cat?"

"I brought her in a few months ago. The poor little girl was out in the rain and I couldn't leave her out there. Isn't she sweet?"

"You know I—"

"Enough of that. This thing can't kill you." She gently slapped the brunette's shoulder and turned to Yujin. "Who do we have here? Minju's friend? You two must have driven a long way here. Why are you just standing there? Come with me. If she lets you carry her, you no longer have anything else to worry about. She's the most feisty one in this household." With that, she strolled toward the kitchen.

Yujin glanced at the brunette who assured she had everything under control as she gently placed the kitten down. 

"Where's Wonyoung? I made her favourite Yakgwa cookies the moment you told me you were coming over."

The moment Minju heard that name leave her lips, she went to her grandmother, whispering something in her ear. The lady looked at the brunette with widened eyes, earning a look of confirmation from Minju.

Before delving into details, she turned to Yujin, offering a warm smile "Come here." Gesturing for the younger girl to sit on the counter chairs, she inquired, "Do you like Yakgwa cookies?"

Yujin glanced at the older girl who took a seat next to her. "I eat anything."

"What's your favourite?" Halmi asked.

Yujin does a second of thinking. "Honey rice cakes."

"Alright." The lady made her way to the front door, grabbing her coat. "What are the two of you waiting for?"

Minju clasped the younger girl's hand, urging her to stand. 

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to follow her to the market." She gave Yujin her coat, asking her to put it on.

"I can drive."

"Walking there's faster. Come on." The lady beckoned them to hasten. "Am I the old one here or what?"

Struggling with one of the sleeves, Yujin was tugged out of the house by Minju. She was not expecting any of this. They trailed behind as the younger girl constantly wondered what was going on.

"Is it because I told her I liked honey rice cakes?"

"You caught on," Minju affirmed. "It's her way of inviting you into the family."

"Inviting me to what?" Yujin wondered if she misheard. "What did you tell her?"

Minju helped the latter button up her coat before holding onto her hand. "I told her you're my girlfriend."

"So quickly?"

"Why? You don't like it?"

"No," Yujin replied, trying to contain her burgeoning smile. "It's not that I don't like it. I just thought it might be too fast for you. Because it seemed like she was expecting someone else."

"Hey! Why are you two so slow?" They heard the lady calling for them.

Minju tugged on Yujin's hand, leaving that topic for later.

—

Halmi passed Yujin an empty recycled bag. "Help me hold this."

They stood facing a lengthy table laden with packets of pre-made rice cakes. Halmi meticulously inspected each packet, striving to select the freshest ones. "What do you like about our Minju?" She inquired while stacking two packs of rice cakes atop each other.

The brunette gently nudged her grandmother's shoulder. "Why are you asking her that?"

"What's your name?" The lady seemed unaffected, solely focused on hearing Yujin's response. 

"Yujin," the girl replied.

"Surname?"

"Ahn. Ahn Yujin," she told Halmi.

"Ahn Yujin," the lady echoed. "Good. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty this year."

"Younger than our Min Min. That's alright. What do you do?" She handed some cash to the store owner before putting the rice cakes into the bag Yujin was holding. "What do you study?"

"Architecture." Yujin felt like she was having an interview without pretense.

"You like drawing? I adored drawing when I was young. Now these hands can't hold a pen steady." She chuckled, proceeding toward the vegetable section to gather ingredients for tonight's dinner.

Minju grasped the pocket of Yujin's coat. "I thought you were nervous."

"I thought I was, but this is okay."

The brunette wrinkled her nose, rubbing her hand against Yujin's back. "You're doing great."

The younger girl smiled and opened the bag for Halmi who selected the greens.

"Do you eat vegetables?"

"Every kind," Yujin answered.

"Really?" Halmi harboured doubts but the younger girl nodded. "That's wonderful. Very healthy," she approved, choosing some potatoes and placing them into a plastic bag before going to weigh them.

Yujin leaned toward Minju. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." The older girl could only laugh, watching her girlfriend get along with her grandmother.

They navigated to the seafood section of the wet market as Halmi instructed them to wait aside. "Are you allergic to anything?" She asked Yujin who shook her head. "Even better. Our Minju loves prawns. I'll go get some." She goes on to examine the fresh catches.

Yujin saw Minju, shoulders drawn in, rubbing her hands together. She transferred the bags to one hand. When her own hands were too cold, she undid the buttons of her coat. She reached for Minju's hands and placed them above her stomach, hoping it was warm enough.

The brunette laughed softly. "What are you doing?"

"Warming you up," Yujin said. "My hands are too cold."

"Aren't they supposed to be portable heaters?" She rubbed the younger's stomach, circling her arm around her body for more heat.

Meanwhile, the guy tending the store placed a big styrofoam box filled with seafood on the floor. "Are you sure you can manage this? I can lend you a trolley."

"It's fine, I can manage," she assured.

The guy seemed sceptical. He followed the lady's gaze onto the two girls a distance away. "Who's that? She's a new face. Where's Wonyoung?"

Halmi delivered a hefty slap to his shoulder. "Don't mention that name again," she warned, watching him rub his shoulder. "Her name's Yujin. Ahn Yujin."

"I got it...why did you have to hit me?" He pouted, observing the lady lift the styrofoam box.

When Yujin saw her, she quickly went over to carry the heavy item. Minju assisted with the bags, making sure nothing went wrong. 

"Is it heavy?" Halmi asked Yujin who shook her head. "Okay, let's go." She walked ahead.

Minju saw the younger girl hugging the styrofoam box. "I'm fine. Go." Yujin nudged her chin forward.

An hour passed as they trudged back home from the wet market, descending the hill.

"This is the longest I've stayed in the wet market," Yujin said, taking each weighted step carefully.

Minju fed her a stick of Pepero biscuit. "How's Halmi? What do you think of her?"

"What do I think of her? What does she think of me is the question here." The younger chuckles. "You do look a lot like her."

"Are you calling me old?"

"I don't mean it that way but I would love to watch you grow old," Yujin said as they reached the house. She was told to settle the box on the kitchen counter while Minju went to her grandmother.

"You could've used a trolley," she whispered.

"How else would I know she'll be able to save you from a disaster?" Halmi goes to the sink, opening the styrofoam box lid as she starts preparing dinner.

Minju took a while to understand what she meant, not knowing if her grandmother's words were of any help.

Yujin rolled up her sleeve and asked, "Can I help?" She looked at Halmi who settled the live flower crabs in the sink.

"I have an important mission for you," she said. "You need to fetch the little one from school."

"Little one?"

"Minju, come here," Halmi called. "You'll help me with this and send her the school's address. Unless you're okay with handling these." She gestured at the crabs which sent shivers down Yujin's spine.

"I can go with—"

"Uh uh, you stay here."

Minju let out a small sigh and took out her phone. She dragged Yujin into the living room and started giving her instructions to fetch her little sister from school.

"I think this might be easier than crabs," Yujin remarked.

"You'll just have to bring her back here and don't get lost."

"Got it."

"It's not far from here. You can walk."

"More exercise, okay."

"She might get a little..." The brunette didn't want to dwell on it. "Never mind." She typed something in her phone, sending the address to